Design of a flexible multi-source energy harvesting system for autonomously powered IoT : The PERPS project

Abstract

A desired property of an autonomous system is the capability to operate and survive in unforeseen conditions. Wireless IoT (formerly Wireless Sensor Network) applications, pose a series of limitations regarding an embedded system’s power consumption and energy autonomy. The PERPS project proposes an innovative approach to energy harvesting systems, aiming to perpetual operation of WSN nodes and portable electronics. A state-of-the-art energy conversion integrated circuit (ENC IC), with real-time S/W algorithms is implemented, to allow the predictive estimation of energy availability at the system’s installation site. A multi-source input is employed combining parallel harvesters for various energy sources including (ambient) light, (micro) vibrations and (small) temperature differences, to upgrade the topology’s efficiency and versatility. In addition, the newly-introduced concept of harvesting energy via triboelectric microgenerators is studied. Ultra-low power consumption microelectronic circuitries and novel storage structure techniques are employed in order the overall architecture to present optimum energy utilization, therefore maximized efficiency. The final version of the system will be tested on a ship’s engine room thus the verification of the PERPS project operational principle will be based on real and demanding environmental conditions.